


Fading Happily (Ever After)

by PizzaHorse



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Death, Final Thoughts, Gen, Reminiscing, Sad, dying, not okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23026816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PizzaHorse/pseuds/PizzaHorse
Summary: Victory is sweet, but it comes at a price.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 78





	Fading Happily (Ever After)

Everything was hazy.

She remembered watching Rapunzel's hair fall away.

She remembered the blinding flash of light.

She was still blind from it.

Everything in her body felt like it should hurt. Maybe it did? She tried to take a breath, but it felt like she was in a place where air did not exist. Or maybe her lungs just weren't working. That probably wasn't good.

She realized, then, that she was staring at something tall and purple, off in the distance. She tried to squint, tried to call her name, tried to reach out. Nothing seemed to be working right. Maybe she could will herself to-

She suddenly felt very sick. Maybe she should puke… No, there was no time for that.

Zhan Tiri was gone. That was right. She and Rapunzel had defeated her mere moments before. That was where the light had come from. Right. No more Zhan Tiri. No more Sundrop. No more Moonstone. All gone quicker than the blink of an eye. It had all happened so fast and yet, now everything seemed to move so slowly.

The Sundrop was gone. Finally, really gone. Rapunzel could be safe and happy and free and live the life she wanted to. She had fought for and protected Corona. She had survived the black rock journey. She didn't need Cassandra's protection anymore. She had Eugene and her parents and all of her friends who would always love and support her. She could take care of herself from now on. At least that was some consolation.

It might have been nice to see her dad. Perhaps it was better this way, with how they left things. If he remembered her as a bitter and vengeful person, maybe he wouldn't miss her so much. Maybe her being gone wouldn't totally break his heart.

Cassandra lay, on the bricks and rubble of the castle. She'd made a mess of everything. Her life. Her relationships. Her friendship with Rapunzel. But at least she would die having helped defeat Zhan Tiri. Having done one last good thing for the people of Corona. It probably wasn't enough for them to forgive her, but, she couldn't blame them for hating her. She deserved it. If anyone was going to hold a grudge against her, at least she wouldn't be around to know about it.

She got to see Rapunzel, one last time. She got to apologize for everything, even though she could never truly atone for the awful things she'd done and the awful way she'd treated her best friend.

They had shared one final embrace before Rapunzel went off to save Corona. In the end, it had taken the both of them, but surely Rapunzel would have been able to figure something out by herself. She never gave up or gave in to adversity. She was always so resilient. The citizens of Corona would undoubtedly shower their princess with praise and thanks for saving all of their lives. They would, unsurprisingly, omit Cassandra's part from the account. Rapunzel would try, in vain, to insist it would not have been possible without the both of them. But no one would listen. Even in a noble death, her lot in life was not about to change. Her accomplishments would be forgotten, her deeds would go unwritten.

Yes, Rapunzel was beloved by every citizen in Corona. She would be alright. Cassandra had only been in her life for a couple of years. In half a decade she would become but a distant memory. Rapunzel would take to her life as a princess, perhaps bring some heirs into the world. And her friend, her dear good friend Cassandra, would be given hardly a passing thought.

Someday, perhaps, Rapunzel's offspring would find a dusty forgotten journal depicting her first year in Corona. " _Who is that?"_ they might inquire. " _I don't really remember. Eugene, do you remember who this is?"_ The name would be foreign on her tongue, long unused to the point where she could not even conjure a proper memory, even with the journal's help.

Yes, she was an insignificant servant with delusions of being more. Well, maybe she was more, to Rapunzel. Yes, she was. For a brief moment, she had mattered, to the one person in the world that she loved with all of her heart. A shame she would never know how Cassandra truly felt. But even if she had survived this, she wouldn't dare tell her.

Well, at least she got to see her, one last time.

Her eyelids grew heavy.

Rapunzel was safe, and happy. That was the most important thing.

She couldn't ask for a better end.

Where else would she rather be than in Rapunzel's presence, staring at the love of her life, as she slowly slipped away from the world.


End file.
